Ravens News 7/26: Receiver Roles and more

The 6 matchups that could define Ravens training camp

Jonas Shaffer, The Baltimore Banner

Lamar Jackson vs. Todd Monken’s new playbook

This is more collaborative than adversarial, of course, but the Ravens won’t know what might work in Week 1 until they figure out what doesn’t work in camp. And there’s a lot to go over. Monken’s system is the first Jackson has had to learn from scratch since early in his career; even the 2019 offseason, Jackson’s first under Greg Roman, had some conceptual carryover from his rookie year, when the Ravens leaned on Roman’s run concepts.

With Jackson’s financial future finally secure, Monken’s offense should have his full attention in camp. Jackson’s deep dive started months ago, during organized team activities, and continued into mandatory minicamp, where he reiterated his excitement over the potential of Monken’s “pro-style” offense. Now Jackson has to iron out all the wrinkles that come with a new system: communicating and adjusting plays before the snap, reading out coverages, learning the tendencies of receivers, and realizing how he can best keep the offense on track.

Mark Andrews Sees a Different Role in Todd Monken’s Offense

Ryan Mink, BaltimoreRavens.com

The additions of Odell Beckham Jr., first-round pick Zay Flowers and Nelson Agholor should lighten the load on the Ravens’ star tight end. When Baltimore needs a clutch play, the defense is going to have more targets to keep an eye on.

“It’s important to spread the ball out,” Andrews said Tuesday, on the eve of the Ravens’ first training camp practice. “I know that the guys that we have on this roster are able to get open, make big-time catches and do all those different things. Being a team guy, I just want to win games. That’s all that matters to me.”

“I’m still learning the offense and that’s why I’m so excited to get back to training camp and really carve out my role and find out the do’s and dont’s of the offense,” Andrews said.

“I think it’s new and exciting. Any time you can learn something – I’ve been playing in the same offense for the last five years – so as a player to be able to grow and learn, I’m going to soak it all in like I’m a rookie.”

“I’ve got a big picture in mind where I want to be playing late in the playoffs and feel incredible. That’s my goal,” Andrews said.

Zay Flowers Already Loving His Versatile Role in Ravens’ New Offense

Luke Easterling, Sports Illustrated

The early returns have Flowers excited about his role in the new scheme, as he’s been getting reps at all three receiver positions.

“That’s what I want. That’s exactly what I want,” Flowers recently told Ravens team writer Ryan Mink. “As long as I’m touching the ball, I feel like I can make a play from anywhere, no matter where it is. [Monken’s] offense allows everyone to be able to get the ball. Just spread everybody out, move pieces around, and get everybody open.”

Flowers doesn’t care how the ball gets into his hands; he’ll be ready to turn every touch into a score regardless.

“I just want to touch the ball. I don’t care how – screens, deeps balls, intermediate routes, shallow crosses – it doesn’t matter,” Flowers told Mink. “As long as I’m touching the ball, I feel confident that I can help the team.”

“It was good learning from the vets, trying to get a connection with Lamar, learning stuff from Odell like what to and not to do, learning defenses from him and how to run routes and how to be patient on certain routes,” Flowers told Mink. “Working out with them added a little bit to my game, I’d say, during this break.”

‘I thought it was over’: Behind Odell Beckham Jr.’s unlikely comeback with the Ravens

Dan Pompei, The Athletic

“If I’m honest, I was resistant,” he says. “There were other places I wanted to go. I wasn’t necessarily a Ravens fan because the Ravens always whipped my ass.”

The Ravens kept making him feel wanted. They made Beckham an offer unlike any other team — one year, $15 million.

They were willing to pay Beckham more because they saw value beyond receptions and yards. The Ravens knew what he did for the Rams. They thought he could be a force multiplier in games, and, thanks to The Catch, he could put points on a team’s financial scoreboard through social media bumps and jersey sales.

“I’m thinking like this is my last year,” Beckham says. “I’m going to give it my all this year. And then if something happens after that, we can go from there.”

PFF50: 10 players who just missed out

Sam Monson, PFF

K JUSTIN TUCKER, BALTIMORE RAVENS

You can construct a case that Tucker is one of the best five players in football, but we tend not to because of the can of worms that opens up for somebody who was on the field only 168 times in 2022.

Tucker is as good as it gets at his position — and has been for years. The gap between him and the next-best kicker over any extended period of time is as large as it is at any other position, but it’s hard to put a player whose role is so limited on a list as exclusive as this over excellent players who log more than five times as many snaps over the season.